


Hunter of Howl's End

by CosmicDust (wayward_author)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Body Horror, Horror, Multi, might add more later - Freeform, short horror story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 07:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20404009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_author/pseuds/CosmicDust
Summary: It's that time of the month when Cameron and his partners set out to cover an urban legend and explore abandoned places! But when faced with this local legend, are they the hunter or the prey?





	Hunter of Howl's End

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! Yes, I know, it's been a while again. Life and such, it's fun. Long story short, I moved, I was struggling with school and depression (still am kind of...except for school), and still looking for a full time job. Speaking of school, this work was submitted as my final project and I'm very proud of it. Doesn't hurt that it's almost time for all the spooks and chills of the year. I don't know if I should add more to it yet or not, but I love how it is so far. I hope y'all enjoy!

Cameron sighed as the video recording started off blurry when he turned the old girl on. It took a minute, but it finally focused on the surroundings. The sky was an ominous color close to blood as it became a backdrop for the bare trees that swayed and cackled in the wind. An abandoned factory was nearly hidden in the oncoming dark, but the trio of trespassers were prepared with contractor grade halogen lights. A girl soon came into view, her excitement palpable through the lens.

“Hello ghouls and ghosts! It is I, Samantha, your guide into the dark and the unknown! It’s that time of the month again where we take are show on the road to explore the decrypted and deserted of our history’s underbelly. This month, we decided to do something special and stay local with one of very our own disgusting little urban legend, The Hunter of Howl’s End.”

Cameron panned the camera out to capture the roof of the failing building, a group of ravens passing by just in time to add to the dramatic view.

“The story goes that years ago this land used to have a hospital built on the property for the poor and mentally ill.” Samantha stepped forward with stars in her eyes. “The treatments that were rumored to be performed here have been spoken in whispers while most of the documents have been sealed or never found. The screams were never ending and frightened all who lived near here.”

A sigh broke through the girl’s monologue.

“Do you have to embellish every little thing?” A tall figure brushed against the camera man to step in front of Samantha. “The truth isn’t as interesting as you ever make it out to be.”

“Dammit Darren, can you try to not be so logical all the time! It’s to add atmosphere! Our viewers like it.” The excited girl argued, crossing her arms with a pout. “You don’t have to be such an asshole each time we start recording.”

“If you actually tell the story right, I wouldn’t have to step in.”

“Right, Mr. Snorefest knows best when it comes to storytelling. Ha.” Samantha rolled her eyes as Cameron dropped the camera to glare at his partners.

“As much as I love you both, could you two at least try to be civil just once. This is going to take a lot of editing already.” Dejected silence followed his words, Samantha looking down with her cheeks turning red as Darren huffed.

“Sorry…You know I’m a stickler for the truth. I’ll try and hold back this time.” He nodded to Samantha and stepped back, holding up a light to continue filming. Samantha rubbed her eyes a bit and tried the smile up at Cameron.

“Ready when you are.” She told him. He fixated the lens back on her and counted down from three. Taking a deep breath, she continued her story. “The legend speaks of a surgeon that had drugged multiple patients and started to see if he could remake them into grotesque living sculptures. With the ratio between staff and patients being so high and the amount of deaths that happened daily he flew under the radar until he was stumbled upon by a nurse. What happened to him is unknown and soon the building was closed and torn down. A toy factory was built on top of the land years after with hopes of burying the past underneath. And yet, as time passed by many workers have faced their death or have disappeared and soon enough, even the factory was closed down.” Samantha turned to face the building.

“Even now there are stories about the wild surgeon scouring for his next project. ‘The Hunter is always watching’ is a saying that is told to children so they’ll behave. Many denounce his existence since there is not proof of him, and yet their silence is filled with fear. No one has been allowed back since without a police escort. Not until now.” She looked back to Cameron, right into the middle of the lens. “Tonight, we break ground on the mysteries surrounding this place. Maybe we’ll even find a sign that the Hunter was real. Or better yet, run into one of his creations that are said to roam the halls.” She grinned and let out a chuckle as the recorder was turned off.

“Well…That will take a bit of work, but not bad. We’ve had worse before.” Cameron commented as he glanced at Darren. The other male rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder into Cameron’s. He really wished he was back at their apartment, prepping for his second year of college.

“As long as you get the shots you need it will work out.”

“Easy for you to say when you’re not the one putting the video together…” Samantha’s giggles interrupted their conversation as she walked over and grabbed their arms.

“You both have good points, now come on! I’ve been wanting to do this forever! Remember the plan, right?”

“Yeah. You’ll take the main floor while I take the top floor. Our little Cameron here takes the spooky basement.” Darren could not help but smile as he spoke.

“I know, I know. You don’t have to remind me ever damn time.” He said, looking off to the side. He was not looking forward to venturing down into the depths of Howl’s End, but he drew the short stick. “Can we get this over with already?” Cameron asked as he bent down to pack the old recorder away to start prepping the camera on his phone. The other two followed his lead.

“Of course! We’re wasting the last bit of sunlight just lollygagging! Come on!” Samantha whined, hopping where she stood.

It took a bit more time before they actually started to make their way up to the factory, lightly chatting amongst themselves to keep the mix of excitement and fear down. Once at the entrance, Darren picked the lock and they stepped in, bits of the concrete steps chipping off as the they across it. Cameron swallowed, peering at his partners as they left him near stairs leading down with a wave and a wish for luck. He remembered to keep the phone up as he took a deep breath of the mold filled air. With one more silent pray to his god, he took the plunge down to the basement.

The stairs were narrow and broken, some crackling from the weight of his body. Cameron talked softly, painting a picture of how he thought it might look with doctors and nurses running back and forth for supplies or even a body or three. He then switched to the factory employees and how they must have been creeped out from doll spare parts or just from the silence and darkness that clung to the walls.

Cameron paused at the end of the stairs, getting a panoramic view of the hanging wires and overturned tables. Dust made a nice home over the discarded tools and unfinished toys. He heard water dripping faintly in the distance as the buzzing of insects and rats added in a soft crescendo. From the bend of light of his flashlight, Cameron saw multiple doorways leading off to more sections. As much as he wanted the adventure to end, he knew that Samantha would be terrible to live with if he did not check every single room. Resigning to his fate, he moved forward at a sloth’s pace to capture every inch he could with his phone.

Every little sound made him jump, from a squeak here to a shuffling there. He had to pause and remind himself that he was safe and alone for the most part. Nothing but asbestos could harm him here, or a bite from a rat. Cameron took time to breath, rationalizing that the sounds were more than likely coming from Samantha rummaging around above him. Re repeated that thought until he felt sound enough to continue on his hunt.

It wasn’t so bad at the beginning, gently lifting pages here, canvasing a small work bench here. If Cameron ignored the critters and dust, it was like a time capsule. He tricked his mind to view it as an excavation and he was digging up the past with his sight. He relaxed more and even joked to the camera once or twice. He wondered how Samantha and Darren were on their own little hunts while picking up a degrading teddy bear when he heard a thud in the distance.

He stopped breathing and stood still, unsure if it was his imagination or just someone playing a trick on him. There was nothing but the same old soft sounds of water, insects, and rats. Cameron’s shoulders slowly lowered as he chuckled, about to comment on how silly he was being when it happened again in the room to his left. He panned his phone to the doorway to get a glimpse of a disfigured arm. The fingers were black and elongated with the joints in weird positions. Cameron jumped back, eyes wide as he stared for a moment to see if it was just his mind playing tricks on him in the dark. That’s when the hollowed eyed face picked out as the arm felt around the wall. The mouth was wide with sharp teeth that grinded from the strain of remaining open.

Terrified, Cameron rushed to get back to the stairs, knocking over a chair that clanged loudly in the room. The creature snapped to his direction and let out a low growl, falling to the floor to crawl its way over. The noises it made became louder from desperation as obstacles kept it at bay. It was near to a scream just as Cameron reached the end of the stairs, hope filling his body as he took a few steps up. Just a bit more and he would be out of this nightmare. He could feel it, a victory cheer raising in his throat when his vision became spotted as his head meet as wall. Cameron fell back from the blow, dazed and unsure of how he lost his balance when a figure stood above him. It was a man in dirt covered scrubs, welding a mallet.

“Now, now. It’s quite rude to run away from your hosts.” The man knelt down, his eyes carrying a kind, yet insane gleam. “You’ll make a nice addition to the family. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt for much longer. Sleep well.” Cameron gurgled and tried to beg as the mallet came down on his head, making everything turn to black.


End file.
